Late Night Studying
by inmyeyes
Summary: RT: A missing book. A chance encounter. Something good out of something bad... (One-shot)


**A.N.:** This started because of a lovely wallpaper made by **Cathy **that featured Tristan in glasses. And well, serious!smart!Tristan in glasses is sexy as hell, and a plot bunny was born. I have no idea how the library at Yale is like, so I made it up. The book Rory is looking for is real, and the course that she's studying for is one that I took (and hated with every fibre of my being). I figured it'd be easier to base it on my own experience than to completely make something up.   


This one's for everyone at the Trory Thread at Fanforum. *grin* This was written just for the fun of it (and I haven't written anything in ages), so I don't know if it works… but what the heck. ;) The mental image of serious!smart!Tristan is enough for me.

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* * * * *  
Late Night Studying  
by inmyeyes

**

"Stupid university requirements," Rory grumbled under her breath as she walked up the steps leading to the library. She had 15 minutes before closing time. 15 minutes to find that damned recommended book and photocopy the relevant pages she desperately needed. She inwardly cursed the people who had borrowed the two copies of the books from the open shelves and thus forced her to either make do without the book or suffer through the torture of photocopying from the copy of the book in the reference section. 

A blast of cold air assaulted her as she entered the large brick building. She shivered at the almost oppressive silence that blanketed the large room that was still full of students cramming for their finals. It felt like being in a pressure cooker; the tension in the room was that palpable. It made her feel nervous and antsy… and now, she really was determined to find that book, get what she needed and then get back to her room to finish her revision. 

Clutching the small piece of paper with the title, author and call number of the book, she made her way to the reference section at the far end of the room. It was considerably less crowded, and she found that the knot of anxiety in her chest had somewhat abated. As she scanned the shelves, she pulled the sleeves of her hooded sweatshirt over her hands and crossed her arms to ward off the chill of the air-conditioning. 

"Hmm… HD29… HD30…" She ran her fingers over the spines of the books on the shelf she was looking for. Pausing, she went backward, checking to make sure that she hadn't missed it. Her eyes dropped to the paper in her other hand, making sure that she had the call number correct. 

She checked once, twice. But the book didn't magically appear. Nor was it anywhere in the vicinity of where it was supposed to be.

"Damnit," she muttered, closing her eyes in frustration. And to top it off, the monotonous tone of the librarian on duty was informing her that the library was closing in 5 minutes.

Great, just great.

Stifling a resigned sigh, she stuffed the paper in her jeans pocket. There was nothing to be done; she'd have to rely on her notes and make as much sense of them as she could… which was unfortunate because she could hardly make any sense of it all. 

She was so mired in her misery that she didn't notice the person rounding the corner until they collided. A strong hand reached out to steady her, causing the contents of said person's arms to topple onto the ground. 

The ruckus had gained the attention of the students who were still in the library, packing up to leave. Ducking her head and mumbling an apology, she bent down to help retrieve the fallen books and notes. 

That was when she spied it: _Data Analysis and Decision-Making with Microsoft Excel_ by S. Christian Albright et al. She reached for it, only for her hand to brush against another. The sliver of awareness from the contact made her draw her hand away.

"Rory. Rory Gilmore."

At the sound of her name, she looked up to see a look of surprise on the guy she had bumped into. Her gaze roved over him, trying to place him. There was something vaguely familiar about him. _ He's probably in one of your classes or something_, she reasoned.

"Yes," she said cautiously, "that's me."

He accepted the sheaf of papers she held out to him, thanking her with a small smile. Something pricked her memory, but it still wasn't enough.

"Um, I'm sorry about bumping into you," Rory apologized, once he had all his notes and books (one of which she badly needed).

He pushed his rimless glasses up, bringing her attention to the trace of amusement that brightened his blue eyes. "You don't know who I am." 

"My memory fails me sometimes," was her feeble excuse. She eyed the book in his hands, trying to figure out the best way to ask if she could borrow it from him. "You're taking _Decision-Making_ too?" she asked, pointing to the book that had been marked as recommended reading for the module.

He shook his head. "No, I took it last semester. I need it for an assignment."

His answer momentarily distracted her. "Oh, I thought… have we taken a class together before?"

The left corner of his lips quirked in a half-smile. "Yes, we have." He must have seen the confusion she was feeling. "You really don't remember."

She tipped her head forward, letting her short hair cover the embarrassed flush staining her cheeks. 

His laugh was low and husky. "That just breaks my heart, _Mary_."

It was the tone of his voice as much as the detested nickname that jolted her memory. But when her eyes met his, when she looked at him again with the knowledge that he was none other than Tristan DuGrey, there was little else about him that made him the boy who had been the most interesting yet annoying element of her years at Chilton. 

Before she could respond, they were unceremoniously herded out by an irate librarian who chastised them for still lingering. 

* * * * *

Minutes later, they were standing on the steps in front of the library and Rory was still reeling from the fact that it was Tristan standing in front of her. 

Physically, he hadn't changed much, except for the inch or two he gained in height. His lean, lanky physique was highlighted by low-slung faded jeans and a deep blue polo t-shirt that made his eyes stand out behind the glasses. And his blonde hair still had a life of its own. 

But he was different. There was a serious air about him, which his glasses only seemed to emphasize. His gaze was direct but without the mischief or flirtatiousness that she would have expected from him. 

There was an intensity about him that somehow made him more attractive to her than he ever had been in Chilton. It was impossible to deny that he had been good-looking before but now he was, as Lorelai would put it, yummy. _Mmm… who knew glasses could be so hot_, she mused.

"I didn't know you came to Yale," she said, not knowing what else to say.

He shrugged. "It's a big school."

"Yes, it is," she smiled lamely. 

After a few moments, he broke the cloud of awkwardness surrounding them. "It was nice seeing you again, Rory. Good luck for finals." 

"Wait!" she blurted, reaching to touch his shoulder. When he turned back and gave her a polite smile while waiting for her to speak, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "You're different."

He gave her a considering look, and she relaxed slightly, predicting a typical Tristan-esque response. He disappointed her: his voice was even when he answered, "Growing up can do that."

She didn't know how to deal with this Tristan. She had compartmentalized him and catalogued all her usual responses to his behaviour. Their previous conversations were predictable, almost formulaic… but now, he had gone and changed and that meant that she'd have to reassess her perception of him and how she'd respond to him. 

Damnit. The puzzle that was Tristan DuGrey would have to wait; her _Decision-Making _final was in less in 12 hours and she needed every minute.

"I have a favour to ask," she said sheepishly, "could I borrow the data analysis book tonight? I was going to photocopy what I needed but I couldn't find it in Reference and I just… I really need it."

"Sure, but just for tonight. I have a research project due soon." He handed the heavy book to her and she almost wanted to weep with relief. 

"Not a problem, I'll get it back to you tomorrow." She scribbled down the address he gave her. "Thanks so much, you're a lifesaver."

And when he smiled, the hint of the old flirty Tristan in his expression made her blush.

* * * * *

She found him exactly where his roommate said he was: in the study lounge, the table in front of him littered with notes and a large packet of M&Ms and a can of Coke by his right side. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he stared at the screen of his lap-top. He sighed, yanking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. 

"Tristan."

Her eyes met his without the barrier of glass and she was suddenly reminded of how blue his eyes had been that night when they had kissed at Madeline's party. Shaken by the direction of her thoughts, she drew her gaze away to the book she was carrying. 

"I wanted to- but I see that you're busy so…" She shook her head. "Never mind." She turned to go, but he stayed her by grasping her arm. 

"I need a break anyway. What did you want?"

"Well, you said that you had taken _ Decision-Making_ last semester and I'm just so woefully lost and… I was hoping you could help me." She thrust the book at him, giving it an evil glare. "The book is of absolutely no use to me. It's like written in some weird version of English; I don't understand half the stuff in there!" she griped.

Tristan smothered his laughter.

"Don't you dare laugh at me, DuGrey!" she warned, poking his chest and earning a yelp of surprise from him. "I would never ever take this course, if it weren't for those damned distributional requirements!"

This time, he did laugh; and it felt good to release all the stress that had built up over hours of studying. It was amusing to see the ever-put together Rory Gilmore freaking out. "So, what exactly don't you understand?" 

Rory didn't need further invitation. She sat down at his table and grabbed a handful of M&Ms. "What in heavens' name is the point of analysis of variance? And what's the difference between a one-tailed test and a two-tailed one? And don't even get me started on linear programming…." 

* * * * *

Tristan was staring at the Excel spreadsheet that he had been working on for hours for his project when someone dangled a super-sized packet of M&Ms in front of him. 

"Are you trying to get me into trouble?" he groused, although he readily accepted the treat and hid it in his backpack. "We're not supposed to eat in the library."

"You're so law-abiding," Rory teased, taking the empty seat next to him. 

"Being at military school has that effect," he countered. "What's the occasion anyway? You're never so nice to me."

"The exam results are out," she announced.

"Yay for you," was his sarcastic reply. He turned his attention back to his computer screen. "Some of us still have work to do." 

"I never thought I'd say this, but Tristan DuGrey, you need to lighten up."

Her proclamation earned her some shushing from other library patrons and she leaned closer to Tristan, using his shoulder to cover her embarrassment. She felt his chest rumble as he chuckled. 

"Let's get out of here before you get us kicked out," he suggested, winking at her.

Outside, the warmth of the summer sun welcomed them. They strolled hand in hand, heading to the nearby café that they frequently went to. 

"Need I even ask how you did?" Tristan asked, grinning at his girlfriend. 

She gave him a pleased smile. "Under someone's expert tutelage, I managed to score an A- for _Decision-Making_."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. "That's great."

Her grin light up her face. She tipped herself up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. "Thanks."

"For telling you what a p-value means? For giving you a crash course on regression analysis? Not a problem." His smile was the same one he had given her many times while in Chilton: roguish, slightly suggestive and all charm. "It led us to this."

"No," she wound her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. "Thanks for showing me that studying doesn't have to be a solitary activity."

His amused laughter was abruptly cut off by her kiss. 


End file.
